TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES

Traveling With Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story / by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor. – Viking, c2009.

As a lifelong devotee of the goddess Persephone, and a relatively recent devotee of Sue Monk Kidd, I couldn’t wait to read this book.  I was not disappointed.  It was like a modern day visit to the Eleusinian Mysteries.  It is a nonfiction account of alternating parallel experiences by Sue and Ann, who are mother and daughter.  I love Sue’s writing, which is deeply thoughtful, honest, original, graceful, and articulate.  The Mermaid Chair and The Secret Life of Bees were fiction; but this memoir radiates the same archetypal power.  Sue and Ann were raised Protestant, and do not claim to be Jungians, Pagans or Wiccans.  Yet they totally connected with the archetypes of underworld, grieving mother, lost daughter, and metamorphosis. They had planned an ordinary journey to Greece and France.  But because they have always taken dreams seriously and diligently record them, the journey opened levels of consciousness they did not anticipate.  They came to realize their experiences as metaphor, which allowed them to comprehend synchronous events that occurred.  Over the course of a two-year journey through a very dark Underworld, they met local people who shared stories and experiences with them, and who essentially gave them back their lives.  The trips to France and Greece do not take them to ordinary tourist venues, but to ancient places of power you will enjoy discovering through their eyes.  Especially unforgettable is the taxi driver who at first did not want to take them to Eleusis, arguing that it had become  forlorn, desolate, and disappointing.  He was reluctant despite their insistence.  But then his eyes fell on the small red glass pomegranates they wore around their necks.  He suddenly became very quiet, and agreed to take them.  The book is filled with surprising legends of miraculous madonnas and old women, icons with a will of their own, trees that tell magical stories, and more.  The magic of this book will work in your soul and show you one way in which Persephone and Demeter emerge from  the underworld and bring with them the gifts of peace and healing.

POWER CRYSTALS

Power Crystals: Spiritual and Magical Practices, Crystal Skulls, and Alien Technology / by John De Dalvo. – Destiny Books, c2012.

This book is an excellent, balanced introduction to a wide variety of crystals, and their physical and metaphysical properties.  The author has interviewed authorities who have had much experience with a variety of crystals, and who share thoughtful, unique  first-hand information about their experiences.  There are 4 main parts to the book.  The introduction discusses the author’s fascination with quartz, and explains why he wrote the book.  Part 1 covers everything you need to know about quartz: what it is, its history, psychic studies involving it, and healing with it.  Part 2 presents research, interviews, and scientific studies involving crystal skulls.  Part 3 discusses scrying, meditating, and healing with quartz crystals.  Part 4 offers fascinating information about the relationship of quartz crystals to Atlantis, alien implants, the space time matrix, and the author’s life with quartz crystals.  Throughout the book, the author focuses on what can be documented by experts who are knowledgeable, thorough and articulate in their descriptions. Some unique and practical sections include techniques for achieving higher states of consciousness using both traditional and channeled meditations.  The emphasis is on presenting a variety of approaches  Many photographs and color plates, footnotes, and a bibliography are included.  This book is an excellent foundation in learning about quartz crystals because the author has remained grounded in what is verifiable at the same time he presents a variety of practical material that is diverse and interesting.

THE SACRED KEY

The Sacred Key: Hymns To Egypt’s Divine Places / written, performed, and produced by Gary Lyon – distributed by Iseum Temple Harakhte, Charlottesville VA, c1993 Gary Lyon – (434) 245-8629 – www.templeharakhte.org

How I have missed this wonderful, special, and unique album, which I used to own on audiotape and played until it wore out…and how thrilled and grateful I am that it is available again, as a CD!  The music is perfect for meditation, or for Pharaonic dance.  The sound quality of the CD is great, whether played loudly or softly.  There are 11 tracks expressing the quality of sacred places in Egypt, along with two unnamed tracks, one of which invokes Isis.  The slow and stately tempo hardly varies from track to track, although the melodies, instrumentations, rhythms, and vocalizations are different for each.  You will enjoy hearing the ancient Egyptian words being chanted and vibrated resonantly and powerfully while being enhanced by the musical renderings.  Equally effective are the celestial voices and wordless chants which harmonize beautifully with the instrumental melody.  The volume level is even and consistent without being monotonous or repetitious.  All of this makes it easy to relax into the music and allow your consciousness to shift without being distracted by changes in volume.  The beautiful, evocative melodies awaken a longing to be in the Egypt of your dreams and memories.  This album is like coming home.  It will bring joy to your heart, your ears, and especially to your spirit.

The Wisdom of Ptah-Hotep and Amenemope

Precepts and Teachings of Ancient Egypt:

The Wisdom of Ptah-Hotep and Amenemope

Translated by Philippe Virey and E. A. Wallis Budge

In A new edition

Edited by Keith Seddon

With an Introduction by Jocelyn Almond

(Timeless Wisdom Series)

c2010 Keith Seddon

www.lulu.com

ISBN: 978-1-4457-6532-7 (hardback)

ISBN:  978-1-4457-6531-0 (paperback)

These texts are part of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature, and date  from between 2500 and 4500  years ago.  They consist of advice and guidance from the two sages, Ptah-Hotep (5^th dynasty) and Amen-Em-Apt (13-21 dynasties later) to their young sons. Although these two texts are from different time periods of ancient Egypt,  their ideas are not dissimilar and are still relevant to us today.  The advice from Ptah-Hotep is especially pertinent for achieving success and happiness in acour tly setting, There is a preface by the editor, and an introduction by Jocelyn alm ond, who is an ArchPriestess in the fellowship of Isis.  It is always a please to read material composed by Jocelyn!  In addition there are two  longer  introductions by the 2 translatorsw  with abundant, detailed notes  by the translators,  providing much historical background and analysis.   FOI members will enjoy comparing these 2 books compiled into one volume.  There is much to reflect on here from these 2 boomks which have come down to us fro solong ago.  The texts will appeal to the heart, and the commentary will appeal to the mind.  Thank you, Jocelyn and Ketiht, for making these texyx available to us today!

GERALD B. GARDNER CALENDAR

Gerald B. Gardner Calendar,

reviewed by

Edward Livingston

This calendar contains historical articles from 1954-1986 with photos, interviews and quotes from Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Patricia Crowther and Monique Wilson.  It also contains materials from Gerald Gardner's "Museum of Magic and Witchcraft " which was bequeathed to Monique Wilson upon Gardner's death.

The goal of this calendar is to share and preserve these materials for those who will learn from our history, while creating an educational and entertaining conversation piece for your home!  The Pagan Feast Days are interesting tidbits from cultures all around the world.  They can be used to tailor your own rituals, to learn more about dieties that interest you, or to better sense the unique energies of that day.  (Special thanks to Lady Cara, who shared source material describing these Pagan Feast Days.)

Full and New Moons are taken from US Naval Observatory data and other sources.  Each moon shows the Zodiac sign where the Moon is for that day.  For example, January's New Moon is in Capricorn.

A donation will be made to the Centre for Pagan Studies in the UK to help preserve Doreen Valiente's archives and other services to our community.

The term "a year and a day" brings us to the very special 366th day on this calendar. 

Purchase the calendar at http://www.gbgcalendar.com/ 

OFFERING TO ISIS

Review

By

Corinne Wessel:

OFFERING TO ISIS: KNOWING THE GODDESS THROUGH HER SACRED SYMBOLS

By M. Isidora Forrest

“I am called The First To See Her, for it is my privilege and duty to open her shrine, unveil her face, and make offering to her each morning.  I know better than most how sweet it is to serve the beautiful one with the right offerings.”

This statement is the essence of the book Offering to Isis, especially for worshippers of Isis.  It is important particularly for her clergy to actively make the correct gift to Isis.  The offerings we make to Isis are our way of communicating with her and showing our gratitude for her having found us and allowing us to worship her. 

This book is highly instructive and it   plainly guides its readers through making all types of offerings.  As I am an artist, it was a wonderful way to spark my creativity by making my offerings of clay or drawing them on paper.

 Isidora teaches the difference between sacrifice and offering.  Offerings are motivated by love, appreciation, joy, growth, and connection to Isis.  Making offerings was essential to the Egyptian relationship with the Divine.  The literal nourishment of the gods and goddesses was a main function of offerings; also it is a way of giving thanks to them for what they have provided to humans.  This book states that the character of the giver is more acceptable to the divine than the “splendid ox” of the wrongdoer.  By offering and receiving blessings the connection between human and divine is eternally woven and rewoven. 

Isidora helps you choose an offering by first reading a highly enjoyable list of the types of offering the ancients used.  She also suggests offerings by specific purpose.  For example, if you are celebrating the birth of a child she recommends offerings that relate to Isis as divine mother… such as milk , birthing bricks ,children, or cows.  When making offerings just to please Isis, the book suggests offering by theme such as elemental, zodiacal, plant, animal, celestial, and terrestrial.

The book is helpful in listing offerings to communicate with a special aspect of Isis such as Lady of Abundance.  You could offer green plants, breasts, bread, wine, persea, or milk.  Suggested offerings to celebrate could be costly items such as gold or lapis; or you could choose an offering by chance. 

Isidora describes the sacred gestures and the offering rites themselves, all of which are updated and practical for modern devotees.  I highly recommend this book.   

THE RED LION

Maria Szepes: The Red Lion -  

A Writer and a Novel that Should Not Be Forgotten.

reviewed by Gisela Kranz

I would like to remember a brilliant novel that I enjoyed this winter, called The Red Lion, by Maria Szepes. It is available nowadays in good libraries, and at second hand book stores but maybe only at an extreme price.

Maria Szepes was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1908, and died there in 2007.  She worked as an actress, journalist and writer; and had profound knowledge of occult matters. Like Dion Fortune, she wrote a book on the occult meaning of marriage, a two-volume-overview on western occult theories (Academia Occulta), and novels, some of them science fiction. 

Szepes wrote The Red Lion during the Second World War, while Europe stood in flames. From the background of this inferno comes the underlying message of the book: maybe it takes many incarnations, maybe we create frightening purgatories, but surely our souls can find their spiral path up to divine enlightenment.

In spite of the serious topic, Szepes succeeded in writing an entertaining, colourful, thrilling novel, deeply rooted in her esoteric knowledge. She outlines the “biography” of a soul: learning, failing and improving during 500 years in various lives in different countries.  It starts out like a crime story, but with every new level of incarnation, a different plot enfolds in front of a new, bizarre historical background. You see the red thread linking the different lives; and after more pages, you are eager to predict which actions in one life would influence the quality of the next. All the stories are told without drama, in a narrative that is never superficial.

 I enjoyed the book while on vacation.

The story of the manuscript of the novel is special too.  It was published in 1946 and soon forbidden and destroyed by the young Communist Government of post-war Hungary. For nearly 40 years, only self-made copies under pseudonym passed from hand to hand in the Hungarian underground. In the 1980s, a manuscript was finally brought to the West, was published again, and became an esoteric bestseller.